Case for surgical instruments.



No. 7l3,530. Patented Nov. II, 1902.

C. J. TAGLIABUE.

CASE FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS.

(Application filed Jan. 27, 1902.)

(No Model.)

turns Sterne PATENT Orricn.

CHARLES .I. TAGLIABUE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

CASE FOR SURGlCAL INSTRUMENTS.

dPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 713,530, dated November 11, 1902.

Application filed January 27, 1902. Serial No. 91,438. (No model.)

To all whom, it puny concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES J.TAGLIABUE, residing in the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cases for Surgical Instruments, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is an elevation, partly sectional View, of myimproved case designed for hypodermic syringes; Fig. 2, an elevation of the bolt for locking the lids upon the case; Fig. 3, asimilar view of such case, like Fig. 1, showing a modified construction of the mechanism for bolting the lids to the case; Fig. 4, a front elevation of the case shown in Fig. 3, the button and spring for operating the bolt being removed. Fig, 5 is a plan view of the bolt used in the modified construction shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail View of the locking device, and Fig. 7 an enlarged detail view of the button used in connection therewith.

My invention relates to cases for surgical instruments; and it consists of the hereinafterdescribed construction of such case fora hypodermic syringe and of the combination therewith of a device for locking the lids of the casein such manner that by bringing the case in position to open one lid the other lid is automatically bolted, and'in such manner that as condition precedent of the opening of one lid the other lid must be bolted, whereby its accidental opening and spilling of the contents are prevented.

Heretofore such cases for hypodermic syringes were made provided with only one lid on the end thereof, and in this case the syringe and the vials as well as the needles and wires were inserted. The defect of such cases is that from the moisture of the drugs contained in the vials and from the drippings of the syringe the needles, which are very delicateinstruments,become soiled and rusty, and very often infected also. To remedy this defect, I devised the case shown in the drawings, having a lid on each end, whereby I obtain a separate compartment for the needles entirely isolated from the compartment wherein the syringe and the vials are kept. This compartment to is, in the position shown in the drawings, normally at the bottom of the case and is separated from the main compartment b of the case by the partition (or bottom) 0. In thispartition c clamps cl are set, wherein needles 6 are inserted and held in position. This compartment is accessible by opening lid f; preferably filled with antiseptic cotton or other antiseptic and absorbent material for cleaning the needles and also constantly keeping them aseptic. The other necessary apparatusthe syringe, wires, and the vials containing the medicinal fluids to be injected-are stored in the compartment 1), as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. They are set in suitably-shaped apertures provided in the partition g, as shown in the drawings. These utensils are inclosed and kept in their places by lid h of the case. This arrangement possesses the additional advantage that it enables the storing in the case of a larger number of vials or other implements without increasing its bulk. In the cases heretofore used the needles were stored between the bottles and syringe on top of the partition g, and to provide the necessary space the case had necessarily to be made wider. Moreover, in this arrangement only one or two needles at the utmost could be accommodated in one case, whereas by providing a separate compartment for the needles on the other end of the case I am enabled to store a greater number of such needles and also a greater number of vials or other implements and still maintain the case narrower than such cases were made heretofore. Both lids are provided withsimilarly-constructed hingeblocks Z and Z, pivoted to the compartment Z) by pins j and j. Springs 7c and 7t, pressing upon the hinge-blocks, hold the lids in open or closed position, like the blades of pocketknives are held in open or closed position.

The arrangement of storing the syringe and vials in the case is such that if the case be turned upside down and lid hopened these utensils would drop out. To prevent such accidental displacing or spilling of the contents of the case in the manipulation when the instruments are taken out to be used, I provide the device for bolting one lid to the case while the other lid is being opened. In the construction shown in Fig. 1 this device consists of lugs Z and Z, affixed to the front walls of the lids. These lugs are in the form of tubes or perforated blocks secured inside of the lids to the front wall thereof, and a bolt or pin m, having two abutments 12 near each end thereof, is inserted in a perforation or bore provided in each of the partitions c and g. Bolt m is somewhat longer than central portion 1) of the case, and the ends of the bolt project slightly beyond the partitions c and g. The bores in the perforations of the lugs Z are in alinement with the perforations, and when the case is put in position to open, for instance, lid h, as shown in Fig. 1, bolt m by its own weight drops into the bore of the lug Z of the lid f, and thereby bolts this lid f to the casing, so it cannot be opened. When, again, after the required utensils are taken out, lid h is closed down and the case is reversed, as in the usual manner of manipulating it is done, to open the lid f the bolt slides from lug Z. into lug Z of the lid h, thus bolting this lid again and preventing its accidental opening.

-When making such cases, the three compo nent parts thereof-the central body I) and lidsfand hare shaped and fitted together. Next the partitions c and g are put in posi tion. After one partition is put in place and before the other is set the belt or pin m is inserted. Abutments n of the pin or bolt m prevent the bolt from dropping out of its place. Finally, lidsfand h, to which the lugs Z and Z were previously affixed, are hinged to the middle compartment.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a somewhat modified construction of the device for bolting the lids fand h to the central compartment 5. The lids fand h are arranged in the same manner relatively to the central compartment b and provided with lugs Z and Z, as in the case shown in Fig. 1; but the bolt or pin m is operated by compressing and pushing button o, projecting on the outside of the case. For this purpose the bolt m (shown in Fig. 5 in plan view) is provided with a hole 1), approximately in the center thereof, wherein stem (1 of button 0 engages, being held in its position by a screw-threaded cap 0.

As will be seen with reference to Fig. 6, the part of stem q between cap 0 and the square flange 5 provided on the stem is longer than the thickness of bolt m, so that button 0 is laterally movable relatively to the bolt or pin m. The square flange s of stem q is fitted into a corresponding enlargement s of the slot 23. (Shown in Fig. 4.) The part to of the stem g next adjoining flange sis fitted into the slot t, and upon the recessed end q of the stem spring 20 is set and held in position by screw-threaded cap 00, forming the head of button 0. The ends of the spring w rest on the case and cover slot 25. The object of spring w is to draw up the button and draw the square flange 5 into the enlarged portion 8 of the slot 25, thereby locking bolt m in central position. The length of bolt or pin m is so calculated that when in central positionto wit, when the square flange s is in the enlarged portion 8' of the slot tits ends engage both lugs Z and Z and hold both lids bolted to the central portion of the case. Before either of the lids can be opened it is necessary to press button 0 inwardly and shift the pin or bolt m farther down. For instance, if lid h is to be opened the pin must be shifted downwardly to disengage from lug Z, and thereby it is pushed farther in into lug Z of lid f, bolt ing it more securely to the central portion of the casing. Then again before the lid f can be opened lid h must be closed and the pin or bolt m must be shifted in opposite direction, thereby bolting lid h to the casing. In this manner before one lid can be opened the other must be bolted to the case, and the contents of the case accessible by that lid are kept safely in position. When the implements are replaced in the case and the second lid closed upon the central portion of the case, button 0 is pushed in one or the other direction, as the case may be, until it arrives at the enlarged part 3 of the slot 25, whereupon spring w, drawing the button upwardly, locks the bolt or pin m in that position, whereby both lids are held bolted to the case.

I claim as my invention 1. A case for surgical instruments, having a lid hinged thereto on each end, perforated lugs set in the lids, and a movable bolt set in the central portion of the case in position to engage with the lug of one lid, when removed from engagement with the lug of the other lid.

2. The combination with a case having a lid hinged thereto on each end thereof, of a locking device, comprising perforated lugs affixed to each lid and a movable bolt set in the central portion of the case, the lugs and the bolt being in alinement with each other when the lids are closed, and means for operating the bolt.

CHARLES J. TAGLIABUE.

\Vitnesses:

A. B. HOBMANN, F. H. DAVIS. 

